Spin pole doll accessory

ABSTRACT

A doll accessory which includes a vertically extending pole with a helically extending band or thread thereon, and a doll carrier that can spin about the pole as it moves down along the helical band, to provide an interesting ride for a doll thereon. The carrier has a tubular portion surrounding the pole and band and has an inwardly extending lug for riding on the band. The tubular portion is large enough so that it can be tilted to disengage the lug from the band, thereby permitting the carrier to be moved up along the pole by a child. A doll seat on the carrier is located on a side of the tubular portion, which is chosen to urge the carrier to tilt so that the lug remains engaged with the band.

United States Patent 1 Marason, Jr.

3,713,251 Jan. 30, 1973 [54] SPIN POLE DOLL ACCESSORY [76] lnventor: Gabriel Marason, Jr., I646 West l05th Street, Los Angeles, Calif. 90047 I [22] Filed: Sept. 24, 1971 [2]] Appl. No.: 183,393

[52] U.S.Cl ..46/l32 [51] Int. Cl. ..A63h 11/04 [58] Field of Search ..46/l32, 47

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,595,061 4/1952 Downey ..46/47 2,462,576 2/1949 Walker ..46/47 Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant ExaminerJ. Q. Lever Att0rney-Seymour A. Scholnick [57] ABSTRACT A doll accessory which includes a vertically extending pole with a helically extending band or thread thereon, and a doll carrier that can spin about the pole as it moves down along the helical band, to provide an interesting ride for a doll thereon. The carrier has a tubular portion surrounding the pole and band and has an inwardly extending lug for riding on the band. The tubular portion is large enough so that it can be tilted to disengage the lug from the band, thereby permitting the carrier to be moved up along the pole by a child. A doll seat on the carrier is located on a side of the tubular portion, which is chosen to urge the carrier to tilt so that the lug remains engaged with the band.

5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures SPIN POLE DOLL ACCESSORY BACKGROUND or THE INVENTION This invention relates to doll accessories.

Doll accessories that create rapid and entertaining doll movements provide interesting toys. This is particularly true where the movements simulate those which might be engaged in by children during play. In order to enable such accessories to be sold at low cost, they must be designed for low cost mass production.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a doll accessory is provided which includes a pole with a helically extending band thereon, and a doll carrier which can be raised by a child and then released to allow the carrier to spin around the pole as it moves down along it. The carrier includes a tubular portion that surrounds the pole and band, and also includes an inwardly extending lug for engaging the band. The tubular portion is large enough so that it can be tilted to disengage the lug from the band, so that the carrier can be raised to the top of the pole by a child. When the carrier is then released, the lug engages the band so that it spins around the pole as the carrier descends. The carrier has a doll supporting seat located on a side of the tubular portion that causes the weight of the doll to urge tilting of the carrier in a direction that assures engagement of the lug with the helical band.

The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the doll accessory, shown with the carrier moving down therealong;

FIG. 2 is a sectional side elevation view of the accessory of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The doll accessory includes a vertically extending guide 10 and a doll carrier 12 which can be manually raised to a top portion of the guide and released to allow it to rapidly spin about the guide as it descends therealong. The guide includes a pole 14, a stand 16 that supports the pole vertically on the ground, and a band 18 fixed to the pole and extending in a helix thereon to serve as a thread. The carrier 12 includes a tubular portion 20 which surrounds the pole and band, a lug 22 that can engage the band, and a doll supporting portion 24 that can support a doll 26 on the carrier.

The tubular portion 20 of the carrier has a hole 28 that is large enough to enable tilting of the carrier so that the lug 22 cannot engage the band 18. When a child tilts the carrier, as to an upright position indicated at 12a in FIG. 2, he can raise the carrier up along the pole without rotating it. If the child then releases the carrier, it automatically tilts so that the lug 22 engages the helical band or thread 18 and the carrier then spins about the pole as it descends.

The lug 22 extends radially inwardly from one side of the lower end portion 30 of the carrier. In order to assure that when the carrier is released it will tilt to cause engagement of the lug with the band, the doll support 24 is formed to extend from the same side of the tubular portion 20 as the lug 22. Of course, it would be possible to locate the lug 22 at the top of the carrier, and then it would be placed on a side of the tubular portion opposite the doll holder 24.

It is generally desirable that the upper end 32 of the tubular portion bear against the band 18, rather than some portion nearer the level of the lug 22. One reason is that when the upper portion at 32 engages the hand there is a minimum likelihood of the carrier binding on the pole. To assure such engagement, the tubular portion is constructed with a length L approximately equal to 1% times the pitch spacing P of the turns of the helical band. Thus, when the lug 22 rests on the band, the upper portion at 32 bears against the band at an opposite side of the pole.

The band 18 is thin so that more than twice as much pole area is uncovered by the band as is covered by the band, along the pole region that the band winds about. This allows for a large pitch angle A of the band helix while providing large spaces to receive the lug when the carrier is free to tilt. The minimum angle A of the helix required for the carrier to be over-running, or freely drive itself down along the pole, is determined by the coefficient of friction of the carrier material on the pole and band material. An angle A on the order of 30 assures self-driving of the carrier material on the pole and band material. An angle A on the'order of 30 assures self-driving of the carrier while providing for many rotations of the carrier in descending a pole of moderate length.

The carrier can be used along, but is designed particularly for use with the doll 26. The doll holding portion forms a seat that faces inwardly to hold a doll in a seated position. The legs 34 of the doll normally bear against the tubular portion 20 of the carrier when the doll is seated, to provide stable retention of the doll. As the doll rapidly spins about the pole in descending therealong, an entertaining motion is provided which simulates the action of a child in riding along playground or other amusement apparatus. The helical band 18 ends a small distance D from the base 16, so

that when the carrier reaches the bottom of the pole it freely rotates about the pole until friction stops it. With the dolls feet 34 above the extreme bottom level of the bottom end 30 of the tubular portion, the carrier is able to rotate without upsetting the position of the doll thereon.

The apparatus can be mass produced at very low cost, and yet it is sturdy and operates reliably. While the pole is shown mounted on a separate stand, it can be supported in other ways, as by making it part of a playground apparatus which includes elements such as swings and the like.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variations may readily occur to those skilled in the art and, consequently, it is intended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications and equivalents.

What is claimed is:

l. A toy comprising:

a pole with a helical thread extending therealong; means for supporting said pole in a substantially vertical orientation; and

a carriage having an elongated tubular portion surrounding a-section of said pole and thread, and having an inwardly extending lug adjacent one end thereof for engaging said'thread;

the inner diameter of said tubular portion being large enough to permit tilting the same relative to said pole to an angle at which said lug is disengaged from said thread and said tubular portion is freely slidable along said pole with said lug disengaged from said thread, and said carriage being weighted to urge tilting in a direction that moves said lug into engagement with said thread.

2. The toy described in claim 1 wherein:

said lug lies at a lower end of. said carriage and said carriage includes a doll holder extending outwardly from the same side of said tubular portion at which said lug is located to provide said weighting which urges tilting in a direction that moves said lug into engagement with said thread.

3. The toy described in claim 2 wherein:

said doll holder includes a portion forming a seat facing inwardly toward said tubular portion and spaced above the level ofthe lower edge of the tubular portion; and including a doll seated in said seat and having a lower foot.por-

tion bearing against said tubular portion of said carrier.

4. A doll accessory comprising:

a guide including a pole and a band extending radially outwardly from the surface of said pole and extending in a helix therealong;

means for supporting said guide so that said pole thereof extends substantially vertical; and

a doll carrier having an elongated hole for receiving said guide, an inwardly extending portion atone end of said hole for engaging said band, and doll support means, said hole being large enough to permit tilting of said carrier relative to said pole between a first position wherein said inwardly extending portion engages said band and a second position wherein it is disengaged from it with said carrier being freely movable axially along said pole, and said doll support means located on a side of said carrier so that its weight urges the carrier to tilt towards said first position;

the pitch of said band helix being large enough in relation to the coefficient of friction of said inwardly extending portion on said band, to cause descent of said carrier along said band by gravity.

5. The doll accessory described in claim 4 wherein:

said band is thin and extends at a large enough pitch so that the uncovered area of said pole between turns of said band is at least twice as great as the area therealong that is covered by said band; and

the distance along the axis of said hole from said inwardly extending portion to the opposite end of the hole is approximately equal to the spacing in pitch of one and one-half turns of said band, whereby the wall portion at an end of said half opposite said inwardly extending portion and on a side opposite it bears against said band. 

1. A toy comprising: a pole with a helical thread extending therealong; means for supporting said pole in a substantially vertical orientation; and a carriage having an elongated tubular portion surrounding a section of said pole and thread, and having an inwardly extending lug adjacent one end thereof for engaging said thread; the inner diameter of said tubular portion being large enough to permit tilting the same relative to said pole to an angle at which said lug is disengaged from said thread and said tubular portion is freely slidable along said pole with said lug disengaged from said thread, and said carriage being weighted to urge tilting in a direction that moves said lug into engagement with said thread.
 1. A toy comprising: a pole with a helical thread extending therealong; means for supporting said pole in a substantially vertical orientation; and a carriage having an elongated tubular portion surrounding a section of said pole and thread, and having an inwardly extending lug adjacent one end thereof for engaging said thread; the inner diameter of said tubular portion being large enough to permit tilting the same relative to said pole to an angle at which said lug is disengaged from said thread and said tubular portion is freely slidable along said pole with said lug disengaged from said thread, and said carriage being weighted to urge tilting in a direction that moves said lug into engagement with said thread.
 2. The toy described in claim 1 wherein: said lug lies at a lower end of said carriage and said carriage includes a doll holder extending outwardly from the same side of said tubular portion at which said lug is located to provide said weighting which urges tilting in a direction that moves said lug into engagement with said thread.
 3. The toy described in claim 2 wherein: said doll holder includes a portion forming a seat facing inwardly toward said tubular portion and spaced above the level of the lower edge of the tubular portion; and including a doll seated in said seat and having a lower foot portion bearing against said tubular portion of said carrier.
 4. A doll accessory comprising: a guide including a pole and a band extending radially outwardly from the surface of said pole and extending in a helix therealong; means for supporting said guide so that said pole thereof extends substantially vertical; and a doll carrier having an elongated hole for receiving said guide, an inwardly extending portion at one end of said hole for engaging said band, and doll support means, said hole being large enough to permit tilting of said carrier relative to said pole between a first position wherein said inwardly extending portion engages said band and a second position wherein it is disengaged from it with said carrier being freely movable axially along said pole, and said doll support means located on a side of said carrier so that its weight urges the carrier to tilt towards said first position; the pitch of said band helix being large enough in relation to the coefficient of friction of said inwardly extending portion on said band, to cause descent of said carrier along said band by gravity. 